The Center for Inquiry strives to foster a secular society based on reason, science, freedom of inquiry, and humanist values.
The Center for Inquiry (CFI) is a 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofit organization dedicated to defending science and critical thinking in examining religion. CFI’s vision is a world in which evidence, science, and compassion—rather than superstition, pseudoscience, or prejudice—guide public policy.
To make a better world, we need to use our heads and our hearts. To confront the challenges that face us as a planetary civilization, we need to use the tools of science and reason guided by compassion and respect for the dignity of every individual.
To move forward, we need to discard old superstitions, prejudices, and magical thinking and embrace facts, evidence, and critical thinking.
It’s about more than whether or not God exists. It’s about more than whether ghosts roam among us, aliens hover above us, or psychics can see within us.
The Center for Inquiry (CFI) strives to foster a society free of the dogmatic influence of religion and pseudoscience; a society inspired by the ideals of the Enlightenment, the wonders of science, and the limitless potential of human intelligence and creativity; a society in which beliefs are not granted the same rights as people, where the freedom of expression is enjoyed by all, and all ideas are open to the scrutiny of reason.
Secular government. Free inquiry. Critical thinking. Humanist values.
This is the Center for Inquiry.
What We Do
Definitions and Values
What is Atheism?
![Scarlett Letter - Atheism Logo](https://centerforinquiry.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/03124250/ScarletLetter-150x150-1.png)
Want to know more about atheism?
Atheism is the lack of belief in a god or gods. Atheism indicates what someone does not believe. It says nothing about what someone does believe.
What is Secular Humanism
Want to know more about secular humanism?
Secular humanism is a nonreligious worldview rooted in science, philosophical naturalism (rather than supernaturalism), and humanist ethics.
What is Secularism?
Secular can mean something that doesn’t have any affiliation with religion. Secularism does not refer to opposition to religion. The secular community applies to people who live without religion, particularly those who define themselves as atheists, humanist, or similar groups.
What is Skepticism?
Are you a skeptic and want to know more about skepticism? Do you just want to have a better understanding of skepticism?
Skepticism is a way of thinking that allows us to welcome new ideas and yet cautions us to analyze them critically. It’s an attitude that allows us to navigate, to the best of our abilities, the murky divide between sense and nonsense, science and pseudoscience.